Kemper started his position in January 2020 with “mixed messages”—he’d been appointed by a president who had proposed defunding IMLS over three consecutive years and unanimously confirmed in the Senate, which had approved increases for the agency over the same period. There was no time to process the president’s fourth proposed elimination before the pandemic … Continue reading Realms of Opportunity
ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall presented the review of Executive Board actions taken since the 2021 Midwinter Meeting (CD#15.1) and the implementation report on Council actions taken at Midwinter (CD#9.1). In a carryover from Council I earlier in the day, Forward Together Resolutions Working Group (FTRWG) cochairs Christina Rodriques and Jack Martin presented their … Continue reading Council II: Restructuring and Sustainability
“The act of education is an act of vulnerability, the willingness to open up to the possibility of a new worldview or at the very least be exposed to it even if it doesn’t shift your own,” said Stacy Collins, research and instruction librarian at Simmons University in Boston. There are those who arrive at … Continue reading The Myth of Neutrality
The Virtual Council rules (CD#5.2) and agenda (CD#8.6) were adopted. The minutes from the 2021 ALA Midwinter Meeting and March Council Meeting Minutes (CD#2.3–2.4) were also adopted. Mike Marlin, chair of the Resolutions Committee, thanked his colleagues and bade farewell to retiring committee members before presenting his report (CD#10.2). The Committee on Committees (COC) report … Continue reading Council I: Forward Together Work Begins
“I left active duty in 1987 as part of the Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act. Basically it was peace time and they wanted to get people out to save money, so I left early and gave back double that time in reserves,” she said. “And when I came back to Illinois, there wasn’t work. So I … Continue reading Serving Those Who Have Served
Jefferson spoke of the “twin pandemics” that have marked his tenure as president—COVID-19 and systemic racism—and pointed out that only the virus seems to be reaching resolution. “Isabel Wilkerson and her book Caste help explain why,” he said. Simone Stone, an MSLIS student at the School of Information Services at the University of Illinois at … Continue reading History, Race, and Caste
“I’m thrilled to be here with you today,” said Nolan, “both as a first-time author but also as a person who loves libraries and is a library patron. I brought my library card along, just in case there were any doubts about the authenticity of that claim.” Nolan told viewers that she feels lucky she … Continue reading The Insight of Interstitial Identities
Moderated by Karen Murgolo, editorial director of the Lifestyle and Culinary imprint at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and editor of Trisha’s Kitchen, Yearwood’s talk was brief but rich in details about her family’s influence on her cooking and her new book. When asked how food keeps family traditions alive, Yearwood said that the dinner table was where … Continue reading Food and Family Tradition
“[During the pandemic], the definition of outreach was put to the test,” Zimmerman said. She detailed the ways in which libraries across the country pivoted in their outreach and service methods: offering contactless deliveries and curbside services, repurposing outreach vans to become delivery vehicles and mobile Wi-Fi hotspots, making phone calls to connect with seniors … Continue reading Getting Back into the Community
On its surface, Tomatoes for Neela (Penguin Young Readers, August), tells the story of a young Indian-American girl named Neela who collects “plump, juicy plum tomatoes” with her paati (grandmother) to make a sauce. But the picture book, illustrated by Peruvian-American mixed-media artist Juana Martinez-Neal (whose art earned her the 2020 Sibert Medal for Fry … Continue reading Food, Form, and Function
Ewing spoke to K. C. Boyd, school librarian in District of Columbia Public Schools, about her new middle-grade book on Friday, June 25 as part of the American Library Association’s 2021 Annual Conference and Exhibition Virtual, addressing themes of community, emotional learning, and life’s transitions. Ewing believes we form our identities as readers as young … Continue reading Lean on Community, Learn from Robots
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimates that 14.5 million Americans lack broadband internet access. Panel moderator Eldon R. James, a trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation, opened the session by citing an independent research study that suggests the real numbers are likely closer to 42 million. Erin Hollingsworth is librarian at North Slope Borough … Continue reading Social Justice Requires Broadband Access
